AIM Gatherings in Colorado
1. Tomorrow, the ceremony at Four Winds (5th and Bannock) that had been held on Sunday mornings, is moving to Saturdays. The ceremony tomorrow begins at 2:30 pm, and there will be a wopila (thanksgiving) meal to follow.
2. In conjunction with the wopila meal, we will have a going-away dinner for Michelle Running Wolf and her sons, Timberwolf and Gerald. Shelley and family are moving back to Cheyenne River, where Shelley will begin a new job on Monday! Please come and give your best wishes to Shelley, Timber and Gerald. They have been an essential part of our Colorado AIM family, and we will miss them. Shelley promises, however,that she is bringing a busload of folks back for Columbus Day!
3. On Tuesday, July 24th, the University of Colorado Regents will bevoting on whether to fire Ward. This is it. This is the final decisionin whether or not to fire our fellow AIM member and brother, Ward. Avigil is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and the Regents will havetheir meeting later in the day. This message comes from Natsuregarding the plans for Tuesday.
All who can, should try to make it toBoulder for part of the day Tuesday:July 24: Regents To Vote on Firing ChurchillMain Rally at 3:30pm – CU BoulderUMC South Plaza (Broadway at Euclid St.)D-Day in the struggle to defend free speech and Prof. Ward Churchillis Tuesday July 24.On that day, the CU Regents will vote after an all-day meeting, most of which will be closed to the public. But the Regents must come outto face us when they make their vote and explain it. So, be therewith us at 3:30pm for our main rally. We will observe their vote andmake our voices heard.If you can join us for more of the day, we will hold a small rally inthe morning (7:30am, UMC South Plaza) to show our presence and we willmaintain a vigil while the fight goes on behind closed doors.Here are 5 reasons why you should join us on July 24th:1) Our enemies are watching—this attack on Prof. Churchill is a keyrightwing "test case" for a much broader national assault. The easier they think it is to fire Ward Churchill on boguscharges of research misconduct, the more attacks we'll see onprofessors, staff, and students, on ethnic studies and women's studiesprograms, and on critical thinking.2) Our friends and allies across the country and around the worldare counting on us to represent them. In just the past month, 100'sof people have written to urge the Regents NOT to fire Prof.Churchill.3) This is your last chance to weigh in—this is the final step infiring Prof. Churchill.4) The University is counting on you not to come—why else scheduleit during the summer?5) It's never too late to do what's right, as Michael Meeropol,economist and son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg realized two weeksago: " I have hesitated to voice my support for Professor WardChurchill as his case was being adjudicated… These charges were (Ithought) substantive and went to the heart of our profession'sintegrity – relating to intellectual honesty. I have been moved,however, to finally raise my voice in protest after reading thedetailed analysis by Professor Tom Mayer…. To be frank and blunt, thecharges against Professor Churchill are bogus and represent a fig-leafof cover for a politically motivated firing…."The Regents may change their plans/location at the last minute, so,spread the word, stay tuned, and check out last minute developmentsat: http://www.wardchurchill.net/, where you can also find background andanalysis.Finally, we are students, faculty and staff at CU-Boulder who havebeen carrying on the struggle here since the beginning. Pleaserespect our game plan of holding a strong, peaceful rally and vigil.And finally,4. There is a celebration of the life of Helen Henry, one of thestrongest non-Indian supporters of AIM and of indigenous peoples thatI have ever known. Although she is frail, and about 85 years-old, sheis still keeping on, and her family has invited all of us to celebratewith them. I hope that a number of AIM people can attend, and that wecan sing for her, and show her our appreciation for her life, and forher alliance with us. Here are the details: Please join Helen's family, church and residential community incelebrating the life of our dear friend, longtime peace, indigenousrights, and social justice activist Helen Henry. Although her healthis declining, it would bring Helen great joy if her beloved friendscould join her for this party.When: Saturday, July 28, 3-6pmWhere: First Unitarian Church, Denver (14th and Lafayette), Community RoomWhy: Because we love her!What to Bring: Yourself and as many friends and family as would liketo come see herSome light refreshments will be provided by Helen's son Seth. Pleasedon't feel obliged to bring food or drink, but if you feel called todo so, that's just peachy too.There is no formal program, so please feel free to bring any stories,words, songs, or remembrances of Helen you would like to share withthe collective. Please join us to celebrate an extraordinary peacefulwarrior, as we renew and recommit ourselves to the struggle and her fine legacy.
from Colorado AIM
July 20, 2007
July 18, 2007
Counterpunch: Spy Towers on the US Border
Photo: Spy tower at Arivaca/Brenda NorrellJuly 18, 2007
A CounterPunch Special Investigation
A Boeing / Israeli Joint Venture
Spy Towers on the US Border
By BRENDA NORRELL
http://www.counterpunch.org/
ARIVACA, Arizona-- Boeing has enlisted the aid of Elbit Systems, Israel's major defense contractor, to construct high-tech surveillance along the border of the U.S. and Mexico. So far, the high-tech fiasco is not working and Arizona residents are organizing a lawsuit to halt government spying on U.S. citizens.
Arivaca resident Margaret Keoppen is among those opposing the 98-foot spy tower in her community, part of Project 28 of the Secure Border Initiative.
With a spy viewing range of 10 miles, the spy tower is pointed at the good folks of Arivaca.
"This system is entirely experimental with unknown results and I don't wish to be used as a guinea pig with resulting harm to me, my family, my animals, area wildlife," Keoppen told Project 28.
In Tucson, the search for the biggest joke in town--the environmental assessment of the spy towers -- began at the public library.
"That's odd," said a research librarian, "there are no copies of it here." Diligent, the librarian plowed through the web and made a phone call.
A copy of the environmental assessment for the new high-tech border surveillance was finally located at the Arivaca library. In Arivaca, the draft copy of the assessment arrived on a Saturday in April, with no public notice.
A typed cover letter from
U.S.Customs and Border Protection said residents had four days to respond, April 14 -- 18. The library was closed two of those days. Without phone calls from the librarians, no one would have known it was there. Few people had a chance to even read it.Driving down from Tucson, the earth is scorched from the 114 to 118 degree temperatures. Contrary to the frenzied hype of television news, a drive along the border, through Three Points, then down the road to Sasabe and finally to Arivaca, reveals three Wackenhut buses--all empty -- waiting to be loaded with migrants. There wasn't a migrant in sight. (Wackenhut, with its history of human rights violations, is now on contract to transport migrants rather than Border Patrol. Wackenhut is now Geo Group, but the buses are labeled Wackenhut.)
A stop at a bird walk near Arivaca proves more desolation. Two men with hunting dogs arrive in separate vehicles. One man takes off quickly for another site, both men wearing plain clothes. In this no-man's land, strangers are assumed to be undercover border agents or Minutemen.
In Arivaca, residents are fighting mad about the spy tower, which was built without consulting them, less than a mile from town.
"You can not see the border from that spy tower, because of the mountains. The only thing you can see is Arivaca," says one woman living in this community of 2,500.Arivaca is 12 miles north of the border and the desert mountains are a fortress that the spy tower camera can not penetrate. In fact, the spy tower isn't penetrating anything, because like all the nine spy towers on Project 28 of the Secure Border Initiative so far, it isn't working. But more about that later.
The spy tower has the good folks of Arivaca in clear sight. It is a community of artists and ranchers, popular with birdwatchers and nature lovers. The people here savor their privacy. They have selected Arivaca because it is off the beaten track and ensures a quiet life, far from the prying eyes of anyone.
Now, without any consultation, there is a spy tower on the edge of town, with its camera pointed at them. Worse, the Boeing equipment list for Project 28 calls for radar, infrared, lasers, microwave, iris biometri
cs and facial biometrics."Iris biometrics?" Arivacans ask.
In the environmental assessment, there is no research concerning the health effects of the lasers, microwave, iris biometrics and other technology, on humans.
The environmental assessment concludes Project 28 will have "no significant impact."
However, the assessment lists the endangered, threatened and sensitive life forms, including the Pima pineapple cactus, masked bobwhite habitat, desert tortoise, burrowing owl and lesser long-nosed bat. There's also Santa Cruz stripe agave, Huachuca golden aster and Lumholtz nightshade. In Pima County, there's 20 species, including the Chiricahua leopard frog, cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl and southwestern willow flycatcher.
The conclusion for all: The towers will have "no significant impact."
Arivaca is the territory of migrating bats, including a large population on the move from the nearby ghost town of Ruby. In the assessment, there's nothing more than a little mumbo-jumbo about the bats.
Local residents wonder if the spy towers will effect the bats' ability to hunt.
In the white wash of the environmental assessment, it says, "Tower radar is not expected to impact echolocation of lesser long-nosed bat because recent studies determined that some species of bats avoided the frequencies of radar to which they were exposed," the assessment says.
So, they're guessing the bats won't be impacted.
Here in the Sonoran desert, bats, hummingbirds, bees and butterflies are the major pollinators. Without pollinators, there will be no saguaro, yucca or desert plants.
In the assessment, there's only brief mention of the endangered jaguar, Panthera onca. It is the largest cat in the Southwest. There's also the endangered Sonoran pronghorn and the threatened bald eagle.
The environmental assessment is clearly a joke, no one could have manufactured this document with serious intent. After listing the threatened and endangered species here, including bats and jaguars, the environment assessment concludes that wildlife will not be harmed by the spy towers.
Wildlife, it says, is "expected to stay away."
This is Saturday Night Live funny. It is easy to image the cartoon, as CorpWatch has also imagined and posted on its website, with horns sounding out alerts in the desert. One horn could be honking: "Wildlife -- that includes you birds--you're expected to stay away!"
On the serious side, the assessment admits that warning lights on towers can disorient migrating birds and cause them to fly in circles, resulting in fatal collisions. Red lights attract more birds than white ones. So, the Boeing solution is: "loud hailer horns."
The assessment talks much more about grasses and birds than it does of spying on U.S. citizens, which it does not address.
Unwarranted spying on U.S. citizens can have dangerous, even deadly consequences. With the spy towers, Border Patrol agents will be able to sit in their cars and watch local residents on their laptop computers, if and when the spy towers begin functioning.
Arivacans have asked Homeland Security about privacy. However, no one in Homeland Security can assure them that normal citizens will not be spied on.
Border residents ask: What about the occasional Border Patrol agent who is a pedophile, stalker, rapist or murderer. Border Patrol agents are now charged with the crimes of rape and murder.
What would prevent a Border Patrol agent from keeping tabs on the young man or woman they are attracted to with their spy apparatus?
With thousands of border agents, and new recruits arriving constantly, there are no guarantees.
There are two spy towers already built on the Tohono O´odham Nation, as a result of cooperation between the Tohono O´odham tribal government and Homeland Security.
Because of the cooperation between Homeland Security and the previous tribal chairwoman, Vivian Juan-Saunders, there are two migrant detention centers on tribal land, which O´odham human rights activists like Ofelia Rivas say violates the Him'dag, the O´odham way of life.
Tohono O'odham tribal land is a place where a large number of migrants die of dehydration and heat every year. Although Mike Wilson, O'odham, puts out water for migrants in a few areas, his efforts are not supported by the tribe. Derechos Humanos Coalition in Tucson said more migrants are dieing this year along the border than last year, because of failed immigration policies forcing migrants into more dangerous and desolate crossing areas.
Tohono O´odham, who were not consulted about the spy towers on tribal land, now ask if Border Patrol agents will be watching them in their outdoor shower stalls. Here temperatures range from 114 to 118 in the hottest part of the summer. Further, O'odham interviewed did not have any idea that an environmental assessment had been released or how to find a copy.
As if that wasn't enough cause for alarm, along with the privacy lawsuit now being organized, there are even more troubling facts about the spy towers.
Boeing has entered into a contract with Elbit Systems, Israel's primary defense contractor, to help construct this virtual high-tech border wall. Elbit is involved with building the Apartheid Wall in occupied Palestine.
Elbit provides surveillance and spy products around the world, from infrared spy technology on the Canadian border to surveillance to European countries. Elbit now has subsidiary companies in the United States.
Elbit is currently the subject of a lawsuit involving satellite images. Elbit is a major shareholder in ImageSat International. Minority stockholders at ImageSat have filed suit against the company because of loss of revenues, which they say is based on politics. Among the allegations: ImageSat refused to turn over spy satellite images to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
Boeing, the recipient of the $20 million contract for securing the 28-mile stretch of border here, itself is the subject of a new lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union alleges Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen DataPlan provided dozens of CIA torture flights to secret prisons.
Back to the spy towers at the Arizona border, those aren't working. After failing to meet a start-up date in June, Boeing was chastised by Congress and Boeing stocks declined. There's no official explanation of the failure of the spy towers to function and no new startup date was announced.
Boeing has admitted that it is using regular Wi-Fi, the same band used at your favorite coffee shop, for communications. Project 28 local broadband wireless uses an unlicensed band at 5.85 GHz. That came as a joke in Arizona. In these rugged desert mountains, even cell phone service is spotty.
In the environmental assessment, Boeing does say it has decided against using the unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) as planned. It does not explain that a multi-million dollar drone crashed near Nogales, Ariz., in 2006. The Border Patrol stopped using the drones at that point.
Earlier, when the unmanned aerial vehicles were hovering above, no one told Arizona residents on the ground, including the Tohono O'odham, of the danger of the lasers onboard. If the drones flew too low, or crashed as one drone ultimately did, the lasers could blind or cause other injuries to people on the ground.
Once again, in the drones' environmental assessment, those lasers were considered to have "no significant impact." The drones were simply expected not to fly too low.
In the spy towers' environmental assessment, there are comments, including this one from Luke James Brannen of Arivaca.
"You have alienated Arivacans enough with your harassment. You need to protect the border, do it at the border.
"Schutzstaffel tactics do not work in a liberal democracy. You can secure our homeland by leaving it alone," Brannen said referring to Hitler's secret police.
Mary Scott had more to say.
"The citizens of Arivaca have been on the front line of the border war for many years. We are sickened by the environmental degradation of our fragile desert, the loss of human life and the constant intrusions of enforcement cars, vans, trucks, buses and helicopters on our lives."
Scott points out that the tower is in a sacred area, the Desert Light Labyrinth, a place of walking meditation and prayer, memorial services and healing ceremonies.
The loud hailer horns, with 100 to 130 decibels, would make prayer and meditation impossible.
Alan Wallen, owner of a small wireless Internet provider service, saw trouble coming from the time the environment assessment draft was first quietly left at the local library.
Wallen immediately notified Project 28, there would be problems with Wi-Fi interference for locals, since Project 28 was using the public band. Those problems are still unresolved.
In a statement just released, Brannen says, "The tower of power is illegal."
Brannen said it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment which guarantees the right of U.S. citizens "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."
"Some think just because residents of Arivaca live near the border, this particular location makes the Tower of Power legal. This is not true, in carrying out any and all of its powers, the government must follow The Constitution," Brannen said.
"It may not search citizen's effects or discriminate against them without a warrant. There might be a probable cause to search a person upon entering the country, but not when a resident citizen is living lawfully within the country. If the government does not respect the supreme law of the land, then the government and its 'elected' officials become illegitimate.
"The U.S. Constitution implores the US government to be faithful to the honored Constitution, and in turn respect its citizen's liberties, rights and the rights of the citizens of the world with due process within the U.S.'s Law."
In other areas of the Arizona border where spy towers are planned, including the Douglas/Naco area, residents are also organizing to halt spying on community members.
All along the border, residents point out this fact: Once they've got the photos or the video on you, what's to stop them from using it against you in any way they please -- including for political reasons.
There's another point they are quick to point out: Even if they worked, the spy towers would not stop border crossers. Migrants headed north would find a way to cross.
Brenda Norrell is Human rights editor for U.N. OBSERVER & International Report. She also runs the Censored website. She can be reached at: brendanorrell@gmail.com
Photo 2: Wackenhut bus waits to be loaded with migrants at Three Points, near the Tohono O'odham Nation border in Arizona/Photo Brenda Norrell
Photo 3: Arivaca Creek/Brenda Norrell
Photo 4: Tree at Arivaca Creek/Brenda Norrell
LINKS TO Boeing, Elbit Systems, etc...
UPDATED: More on the Elbit contract from the publication "Israel 21C" ..."The DHS awarded the SBI contract for the border security project to prime contractor Boeing over Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. In addition to Boeing and Elbit, the other members of the $2 billion program are telecommunication heavy-weights Lucent, L3 Communications, Perot Systems and Unisys Global Public Sector.
Elbit was selected because of its ability to bring together global resources with decades of technological experience and capabilities securing borders in extreme cold, mountainous regions, as well as hot, desert terrains.
Kollsman's global parent, Elbit Systems Ltd. has extensive experience with operational border control and management systems combined with command, control and situational awareness for the Israeli government. Elbit's Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation System (LORROS) and advanced turnkey unmanned aerial vehicle systems (UAV) are some of the products and technology that will be utilized."
More ...
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1450&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Technology
Elbit: Border contract:
http://www.elbitsystems.com/data/ESLT_Kollsman_Boeing_SBI_Project.pdf
CorpWatch: Boeing's high tech fence falters:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14552
IRIS BIOMETRICS, LASERS, etc. on Boeing website:
See the list of technology for the Secure Border Initiative, on Boeing's website.Scroll down for specifics -- microwaves, lasers, iris and facial biometrics collections and unmanned aerial vehicles -- whose health risks and other dangers are still being researched: http://www.sbinetbizopps.com/pdsfeedback.aspx
Israel Elbit:
http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2006/11/experts_at_buil.html
High-tech border network could fall prey to cyberattacks
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0707/0706bb1.htm
More on the Wi-Fi security flaws at Boeing's secure border project:
http://blogs.govexec.com/techinsider/archives/2007/07/101_refresher_info_security_co.phpJeppesen:
The CIA's No-Questions-Asked Travel Agent: http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0725,hentoff,76995,6.html
Boeing/Israeli spy towers aren't working at Arizona border: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/06/boeingisraeli-spy-towers-arent-working.html
Elbit's contract for the Arizona border:”The DHS awarded the SBI contract for the border security project to prime contractor Boeing over Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. In addition to Boeing and Elbit, the other members of the $2 billion program are telecommunication heavy-weights Lucent, L3 Communications, Perot Systems and Unisys Global Public Sector”http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1450&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=TechnologyFrom
Frankenstein Returns: Wackenhut takes over transporting migrants from Border Patrol: (Wackenhut is now Geo Group, but the transit buses which carry detained migrants in Arizona say "Wackenhut")
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Tools/PrintFriendly?url=%2Fgbase%2FCurrents%2FContent%3Foid%3Doid%253A95659
Halliburton's KBR $385 million to build migrant prisons:http://robwire.com/?q=node/894
Action alert: Gila River new threat from hazardous waste
This action alert is from the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment and Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice:
ACTION ALERT! Please spread the word and take action immediately!!
The Great News: On June 20, 2007 the Gila River Indian Community Tribal Council voted unanimously 14-0 to reject signing the draft US EPA permit that would have allowed Romic to keep operating their hazardous waste facility on tribal lands. The vote by the tribal council means that by law the US EPA must deny the permit, although EPA is dragging its feet.
The Bad News and Why You Must Take Immediate Action: A giant hazardous waste company called “Clean Harbors” wants to buy the Romic facility and wants the tribal council to give permission to operate a hazardous waste “recycling” operation there.
The Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment, the grassroots tribal member organization, is asking all of us to support their effort to stop Clean Harbors from taking over the facility, and to close the hazardous waste plant once and for all.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP TRIBAL MEMBERS CLOSE THE ROMIC FACILITY! CALL “CLEAN HARBORS” TODAY!!!
TELL THEM WHERE YOU ARE CALLING FROM AND TELL THEM THAT CLEAN HARBORS WILL FACE STRONG ONGOING PROTESTS AND OPPOSITION IF THEY BUY THE ROMIC PLANT.
CLEAN HARBORS TOLL FREE NUMBER IS 800-282-0058
ASK TO SPEAK TO PHIL RETALLICK and then call back and ask to speak to the CEO of the company.
Call today! Tell Clean Harbors “GET YOUR TOXIC HANDS OFF OF GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY”
ACTION ALERT! Please spread the word and take action immediately!!
The Great News: On June 20, 2007 the Gila River Indian Community Tribal Council voted unanimously 14-0 to reject signing the draft US EPA permit that would have allowed Romic to keep operating their hazardous waste facility on tribal lands. The vote by the tribal council means that by law the US EPA must deny the permit, although EPA is dragging its feet.
The Bad News and Why You Must Take Immediate Action: A giant hazardous waste company called “Clean Harbors” wants to buy the Romic facility and wants the tribal council to give permission to operate a hazardous waste “recycling” operation there.
The Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment, the grassroots tribal member organization, is asking all of us to support their effort to stop Clean Harbors from taking over the facility, and to close the hazardous waste plant once and for all.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP TRIBAL MEMBERS CLOSE THE ROMIC FACILITY! CALL “CLEAN HARBORS” TODAY!!!
TELL THEM WHERE YOU ARE CALLING FROM AND TELL THEM THAT CLEAN HARBORS WILL FACE STRONG ONGOING PROTESTS AND OPPOSITION IF THEY BUY THE ROMIC PLANT.
CLEAN HARBORS TOLL FREE NUMBER IS 800-282-0058
ASK TO SPEAK TO PHIL RETALLICK and then call back and ask to speak to the CEO of the company.
Call today! Tell Clean Harbors “GET YOUR TOXIC HANDS OFF OF GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY”
July 16, 2007
Coming next: More on the border spy towers
Heat stroke summer, on the road to Arivaca. Watch for the latest in the series on border spy towers ...Mohawks: 'Chernobyl' in the making at Sharbot Lake
CANADA’S VERY OWN “ CHERNOBYL ” NUCLEAR
DISASTER IN THE MAKING AT SHARBOT LAKE
JUST NORTH OF KINGSTON ONTARIO .
Mohawk Nation News
July 14, 2007
The standoff over uranium mining
at Sharbot Lake just north of Kingston Ontario is not a
conflict between “natives and non-natives” as the
Globe and Mail suggests. The dispute is between the
Indigenous landowners and the mining companies and
their colonial government puppets.
Non-natives who want a peaceful and healthy future for
their children are rallying in support of the Indigenous
owners of the land. In this instance nobody with any
sense is supporting uranium mining and the kind of
activities that turns the earth into a toxic waste dump.
In the past week Highways 509 and 7 were blocked to
protect our lands and the Ottawa/Mississippi rivers
watersheds from radioactive contamination.
A mysterious private company called “Frontenac
Ventures Corporation” FVC has been trespassing
on our land so it can extract our resources.
Frontenac is a “private” company that develops
uranium properties in Canada . Their website has
three paragraphs with no names, addresses, phone
numbers or links for more information. It states they
operated “four mines between 1957 to 1964 in that
area which produced 15 million pounds of uranium
from pegmatite ore”. Open pit mining is one of their
favorite methods. They presently have 400 claims
for almost 8,000 hectares on Algonquin territory. They
also have claims on property occupied by non-native
cottagers who feel totally voiceless. According to their
website Frontenac plans “to start aggressive exploration
and development immediately”. The main settler
opposition is associated with the “Green party” which
is gearing up for the Ontario provincial election. Their
focus is to change the “Ontario Mining Act” and are using
this issue for their own ends.
Frontenac's board is made up of:
Dr. K. Sethu Raman, former Vice-President of “Campbell
Chibougamau Mines” and “Royex Gold Group of Companies”
(now “Barrrick Gold”);
George White at 613-479-2936, the front man (who looks
something like Mr. Burns of “The Simpsons”, the owner
of the nuclear reactor that Homer works at), former
vice-president and general manager of “Westburne
Industrial Enterprise Limited” that distributes oil and gas
all over Turtle Island;
William J. Radvak is co-founder of “Response Biomedical
Corporation” which develops and commercializes rapid
“immunoassay diagnostic” tests;
Anthony Deweth previously of the private banking sector
of “CIBC Wood Gundy”; and Doris Meyer, former
vice-president and financial officer of “Queenstake” which
negotiated the acquisition of the “Jerritt Canyon Mine” in
Nevada and other publicly traded mining companies. Her
own company is “Golden Oak Corporate Services”.
Does anyone have any information on how these colonial
exploitation companies treat Indigenous people in the other
“ventures” they’re been involved in?
Frontenac is being “reverse” bought out by "Sylvio Ventures"
to be traded on the "Ventures Exchange Sector" of the Toronto
Stock Exchange. This means that the rules for scrutinizing
their activities is less stringent than a publicly traded company.
They plan to form a new company “Amalco” which will be a
wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Sylvio. The corporate
veil cannot be pierced. You can only sue the company which
could be just a front. If there’s trouble the corporation dissolves
itself and no one can be sued except for personal guarantees
and illegal activities which are hard to prove.
It appears that besides mining uranium, they are trying to make
a profit by creating nuclear weapons and other instruments
of mass destruction in violation of international law.
Frontenac and their cohorts are furious that the Algonquins are
denying them access to our land, minerals and the site to dig
our uranium and make their bombs. George White even called
us “eco terrorists” even though there hasn’t been one incidence
of violence, except for the mosquitoes and deer flies that are
wicked this year!
George White of Frontenac is concerned that the situation is
similar to Niger in Africa where companies use armed security
to carry out theft of resources there. Yes, George, your project
is similar to Niger . A foreign corporation is taking somebody
else’s resources and the bandits need armed forces to get
away with it. In the meantime the land is being devastated and
making it uninhabitable for good.
The Ontario government is developing nuclear power that
could create the same kind of devastation that happened at
“ Chernobyl ” in the Ukraine . The Soviet Union thought they
had the greatest energy generating facility in the world. They
did not foresee the catastrophic explosion of the nuclear
plant in 1986 that killed thousands of people and destroyed
the land for thousands of years. This once beautiful part of
the Ukraine was turned into a waste land that will not be safe
to live on for hundreds of years. It was the worst accident in
the history of nuclear power. The fall-out drifted over western
Soviet Union, Europe and eastern Turtle Island . It exposed 6.6
million people to radioactivity. The number of deaths that
resulted cannot yet be told. It affected rivers, lakes, reservoirs,
ground water, fauna and vegetation and continues to cause
grass and forest fires.
Frontenac has been ground to a halt. Frontenac, Mining
Resource Engineering Limited MREL, Ministry of Natural
Resources, Department of National Defense, Indian Affairs
and the Ontario government are uninvited crooks who
sneaked into Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes without telling the
Algonquin people. It is being done for the benefit of private
shareholders and investors who want to profit from the
theft of our resources that we never surrendered.
Private corporations like Frontenac are not listed on the
stock exchange. We cannot find out who the real owners
are. They could be a front for secret investors. They appear
to have something to hide. There is a legal separation between
the private investors and the corporation. In this case it is
almost impossible to pierce the corporate veil and get at the
scoundrels who hide behind such corporations. Let’s take
that veil off.
Only the federal or provincial environment ministries can
chose to become involved in their activities. The corporation
can act secretly without regard for the welfare, laws, elders and
future generations of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.
Should a catastrophe happen they could declare bankruptcy
and disappear. No one will ever know who the secret culprits
were. Even if they’re caught, found to be negligent or
criminal and the company is charged, a judgment could go
in their favor against us.
On the other hand, a “public” company is highly regulated
and has to tell the shareholders what they’re doing.
The Algonquins are sovereign and independent who never
surrendered their lands. They are not part of Canada because
they never agreed to join the colonial state and come under
the “Indian Act”. They remain independent under their own
traditional law and the rules of international law apply.
Should a squatter build a house on your land, they would be
trespassing. Even if a buddy of theirs gave them the rights
or deed. At Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes neither Canada nor
Ontario has legal jurisdiction to grant mining licenses to
Algonquin territory and resources. It’s trespass and theft.
Indian Affairs usurped Indigenous sovereignty by declaring
themselves as the “trustees” that these foreign agencies
have to deal with. Indian Affairs pretends that we and our
lands are under their jurisdiction. They don’t want anyone
to deal directly with us under our laws.
In the Guerin and Sparrow decisions, the Supreme Court of
Canada found that the Crown has a fiduciary obligation to
act in our best interests. Indian Affairs has notoriously
breached this duty.
On top of this breach, they allow foreign interests to conduct
munitions manufacturing, target practice and experimentation
which is devastating and destroying our land. Uranium
tailings are being made into nuclear bombs. Under international
law it is illegal to use weapons of mass destruction or to even use
force to solve disputes. We don’t know why these guys are
making weapons that cannot be used legally. This must be
why they are keeping their operations a big secret. It takes
10,000 years for uranium to lose its “half life”. That’s over 500
generations from now.
Non-natives formed the “Community Action Coalition Against
Mining Uranium” to raise money for food and other necessities.
The three issues the Algonquins are facing are: unsettled
colonial claims to our land; colonists are giving permission for
foreign entities to stake claims to our unsurrendered land and
resources; and the danger of uranium mining.
Journalists are worried about being fired if they write the truth.
The mining activities and nuclear experimentation is so
dangerous that it is putting the lives of the public at stake.
It freezes our mind to think of the consequences. We have to
help the Algonquins at Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes . Write your
members of parliament, the prime minister and the international
community. Ask who has bought off the government and why?
Is any amount of money gained in one lifetime worth jeopardizing
the lives of humans for 10,000 years to come?
We are demanding “No uranium mining whatsoever”. The Big
Trout Lake and Nishnabe Aski and three other Indigenous
communities have declared an indefinite moratorium on uranium
mining and they’re enforcing it. The Algonquin’s Coalition is
waiting for the September negotiations with the Ontario government!!!
The fighters are getting tired and need your help immediately.
[To help contact: Chief Paula Sherman 613-279-1970
http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=paulasherman@trentu.ca; Bob Lovelace at 613-374-5598,
Cell 613-532-2166; Harold Perry 613-479-5534; Lynn Daniluk
613-268-2746 Cell 614-267-0539; Ormond Lee of the settler
committee 613-267-7584].
In the meantime George White of Frontenac sits on his wicker
chair at his cottage waiting for us to get tired and leave.
[For more information contact: Explosives Regulatory Division,
Natural Resources Canada http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=inspector@nrcan.gc.ca Phone
613-948-5200.] [[MREL Bill Bauer Phone 613-545-0466 (111)
Cell 613-530-0777 http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=bbauer@mrel.com]. [Prime Minister
Stephen Harper http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=harper.s@parl.gc.ca] [Anyone else you can
think of to stop this madness.]
Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
See: “ Canada ”
http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/news4.php?en=en&layout=mnn&category=27&srcurl=%2Fnews%2Fnews3.php%3Flang%3Den%26layout%3Dmnn%26sortorder%3D0
DISASTER IN THE MAKING AT SHARBOT LAKE
JUST NORTH OF KINGSTON ONTARIO .
Mohawk Nation News
July 14, 2007
The standoff over uranium mining
at Sharbot Lake just north of Kingston Ontario is not a
conflict between “natives and non-natives” as the
Globe and Mail suggests. The dispute is between the
Indigenous landowners and the mining companies and
their colonial government puppets.
Non-natives who want a peaceful and healthy future for
their children are rallying in support of the Indigenous
owners of the land. In this instance nobody with any
sense is supporting uranium mining and the kind of
activities that turns the earth into a toxic waste dump.
In the past week Highways 509 and 7 were blocked to
protect our lands and the Ottawa/Mississippi rivers
watersheds from radioactive contamination.
A mysterious private company called “Frontenac
Ventures Corporation” FVC has been trespassing
on our land so it can extract our resources.
Frontenac is a “private” company that develops
uranium properties in Canada . Their website has
three paragraphs with no names, addresses, phone
numbers or links for more information. It states they
operated “four mines between 1957 to 1964 in that
area which produced 15 million pounds of uranium
from pegmatite ore”. Open pit mining is one of their
favorite methods. They presently have 400 claims
for almost 8,000 hectares on Algonquin territory. They
also have claims on property occupied by non-native
cottagers who feel totally voiceless. According to their
website Frontenac plans “to start aggressive exploration
and development immediately”. The main settler
opposition is associated with the “Green party” which
is gearing up for the Ontario provincial election. Their
focus is to change the “Ontario Mining Act” and are using
this issue for their own ends.
Frontenac's board is made up of:
Dr. K. Sethu Raman, former Vice-President of “Campbell
Chibougamau Mines” and “Royex Gold Group of Companies”
(now “Barrrick Gold”);
George White at 613-479-2936, the front man (who looks
something like Mr. Burns of “The Simpsons”, the owner
of the nuclear reactor that Homer works at), former
vice-president and general manager of “Westburne
Industrial Enterprise Limited” that distributes oil and gas
all over Turtle Island;
William J. Radvak is co-founder of “Response Biomedical
Corporation” which develops and commercializes rapid
“immunoassay diagnostic” tests;
Anthony Deweth previously of the private banking sector
of “CIBC Wood Gundy”; and Doris Meyer, former
vice-president and financial officer of “Queenstake” which
negotiated the acquisition of the “Jerritt Canyon Mine” in
Nevada and other publicly traded mining companies. Her
own company is “Golden Oak Corporate Services”.
Does anyone have any information on how these colonial
exploitation companies treat Indigenous people in the other
“ventures” they’re been involved in?
Frontenac is being “reverse” bought out by "Sylvio Ventures"
to be traded on the "Ventures Exchange Sector" of the Toronto
Stock Exchange. This means that the rules for scrutinizing
their activities is less stringent than a publicly traded company.
They plan to form a new company “Amalco” which will be a
wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Sylvio. The corporate
veil cannot be pierced. You can only sue the company which
could be just a front. If there’s trouble the corporation dissolves
itself and no one can be sued except for personal guarantees
and illegal activities which are hard to prove.
It appears that besides mining uranium, they are trying to make
a profit by creating nuclear weapons and other instruments
of mass destruction in violation of international law.
Frontenac and their cohorts are furious that the Algonquins are
denying them access to our land, minerals and the site to dig
our uranium and make their bombs. George White even called
us “eco terrorists” even though there hasn’t been one incidence
of violence, except for the mosquitoes and deer flies that are
wicked this year!
George White of Frontenac is concerned that the situation is
similar to Niger in Africa where companies use armed security
to carry out theft of resources there. Yes, George, your project
is similar to Niger . A foreign corporation is taking somebody
else’s resources and the bandits need armed forces to get
away with it. In the meantime the land is being devastated and
making it uninhabitable for good.
The Ontario government is developing nuclear power that
could create the same kind of devastation that happened at
“ Chernobyl ” in the Ukraine . The Soviet Union thought they
had the greatest energy generating facility in the world. They
did not foresee the catastrophic explosion of the nuclear
plant in 1986 that killed thousands of people and destroyed
the land for thousands of years. This once beautiful part of
the Ukraine was turned into a waste land that will not be safe
to live on for hundreds of years. It was the worst accident in
the history of nuclear power. The fall-out drifted over western
Soviet Union, Europe and eastern Turtle Island . It exposed 6.6
million people to radioactivity. The number of deaths that
resulted cannot yet be told. It affected rivers, lakes, reservoirs,
ground water, fauna and vegetation and continues to cause
grass and forest fires.
Frontenac has been ground to a halt. Frontenac, Mining
Resource Engineering Limited MREL, Ministry of Natural
Resources, Department of National Defense, Indian Affairs
and the Ontario government are uninvited crooks who
sneaked into Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes without telling the
Algonquin people. It is being done for the benefit of private
shareholders and investors who want to profit from the
theft of our resources that we never surrendered.
Private corporations like Frontenac are not listed on the
stock exchange. We cannot find out who the real owners
are. They could be a front for secret investors. They appear
to have something to hide. There is a legal separation between
the private investors and the corporation. In this case it is
almost impossible to pierce the corporate veil and get at the
scoundrels who hide behind such corporations. Let’s take
that veil off.
Only the federal or provincial environment ministries can
chose to become involved in their activities. The corporation
can act secretly without regard for the welfare, laws, elders and
future generations of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.
Should a catastrophe happen they could declare bankruptcy
and disappear. No one will ever know who the secret culprits
were. Even if they’re caught, found to be negligent or
criminal and the company is charged, a judgment could go
in their favor against us.
On the other hand, a “public” company is highly regulated
and has to tell the shareholders what they’re doing.
The Algonquins are sovereign and independent who never
surrendered their lands. They are not part of Canada because
they never agreed to join the colonial state and come under
the “Indian Act”. They remain independent under their own
traditional law and the rules of international law apply.
Should a squatter build a house on your land, they would be
trespassing. Even if a buddy of theirs gave them the rights
or deed. At Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes neither Canada nor
Ontario has legal jurisdiction to grant mining licenses to
Algonquin territory and resources. It’s trespass and theft.
Indian Affairs usurped Indigenous sovereignty by declaring
themselves as the “trustees” that these foreign agencies
have to deal with. Indian Affairs pretends that we and our
lands are under their jurisdiction. They don’t want anyone
to deal directly with us under our laws.
In the Guerin and Sparrow decisions, the Supreme Court of
Canada found that the Crown has a fiduciary obligation to
act in our best interests. Indian Affairs has notoriously
breached this duty.
On top of this breach, they allow foreign interests to conduct
munitions manufacturing, target practice and experimentation
which is devastating and destroying our land. Uranium
tailings are being made into nuclear bombs. Under international
law it is illegal to use weapons of mass destruction or to even use
force to solve disputes. We don’t know why these guys are
making weapons that cannot be used legally. This must be
why they are keeping their operations a big secret. It takes
10,000 years for uranium to lose its “half life”. That’s over 500
generations from now.
Non-natives formed the “Community Action Coalition Against
Mining Uranium” to raise money for food and other necessities.
The three issues the Algonquins are facing are: unsettled
colonial claims to our land; colonists are giving permission for
foreign entities to stake claims to our unsurrendered land and
resources; and the danger of uranium mining.
Journalists are worried about being fired if they write the truth.
The mining activities and nuclear experimentation is so
dangerous that it is putting the lives of the public at stake.
It freezes our mind to think of the consequences. We have to
help the Algonquins at Sharbot and Ardoch Lakes . Write your
members of parliament, the prime minister and the international
community. Ask who has bought off the government and why?
Is any amount of money gained in one lifetime worth jeopardizing
the lives of humans for 10,000 years to come?
We are demanding “No uranium mining whatsoever”. The Big
Trout Lake and Nishnabe Aski and three other Indigenous
communities have declared an indefinite moratorium on uranium
mining and they’re enforcing it. The Algonquin’s Coalition is
waiting for the September negotiations with the Ontario government!!!
The fighters are getting tired and need your help immediately.
[To help contact: Chief Paula Sherman 613-279-1970
http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=paulasherman@trentu.ca; Bob Lovelace at 613-374-5598,
Cell 613-532-2166; Harold Perry 613-479-5534; Lynn Daniluk
613-268-2746 Cell 614-267-0539; Ormond Lee of the settler
committee 613-267-7584].
In the meantime George White of Frontenac sits on his wicker
chair at his cottage waiting for us to get tired and leave.
[For more information contact: Explosives Regulatory Division,
Natural Resources Canada http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=inspector@nrcan.gc.ca Phone
613-948-5200.] [[MREL Bill Bauer Phone 613-545-0466 (111)
Cell 613-530-0777 http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=bbauer@mrel.com]. [Prime Minister
Stephen Harper http://us.f520.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=harper.s@parl.gc.ca] [Anyone else you can
think of to stop this madness.]
Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
See: “ Canada ”
http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/news4.php?en=en&layout=mnn&category=27&srcurl=%2Fnews%2Fnews3.php%3Flang%3Den%26layout%3Dmnn%26sortorder%3D0
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